Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) - On the heels of a new CNN/TIME/ORC poll showing him surging among Republicans in Iowa, Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign is scrambling to buy television time in New Hampshire.

A source familiar with the move told CNN that the campaign started to make media buys in New Hampshire on Thursday, and is planning run television and radio ads statewide beginning next Monday.
Santorum has not aired a single television or radio ad in New Hampshire to date.

The Iowa caucuses are next Tuesday, January 3. New Hampshire’s primary is on January 10.

The media buys reflect a new reality for the former Pennsylvania senator, who has scraped by throughout his campaign with little money for television ads or direct mail.

But if Santorum’s threadbare campaign captures a top three finish in Iowa and catches fire, his momentum could quickly stall without a respectable presence on the television airwaves in New Hampshire and later in South Carolina, where he has been courting social conservatives at the grassroots level for more than a year.

soundoff(18 Responses)

Rudy NYC

Television time? Santorum? He's been spending money on radio ads, not television ads, in Iowa. A television buy is really significant news for the Santorum campaign. Even more so, because it is not in Iowa. Is this a sign of new campaign donations. Have the anti-Romneys finally found their true un-Romney? Does this mean that lttle Ricky fits the glass slippers?

December 29, 2011 11:06 am at 11:06 am |

Aaron

I'm no political consultant, but that seems to be throwing good money away. I would totally ignore NH if I were Santorum's campaign manager. You've got to focus your resources on Iowa right now, then if he gets one of the three tickets out of Iowa I'd pivot to South Carolina. I don't know what they are thinking.

December 29, 2011 11:07 am at 11:07 am |

Paul1st

Santorum is truly "all hat no cattle" better stated as "all social issues no economic issues". He doesn't hold a winning hand. His media buy essentially is a private stimulus program for the New Hampshire media.

December 29, 2011 11:11 am at 11:11 am |

Cindy

Well now get prepared to hear the dirt on Santorum. Like the Pa. voters kicked him out because he charged his county $37,0000.00 to home school his children. What if everyone did that?

December 29, 2011 11:16 am at 11:16 am |

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ

What would he say that could convince people that he really is a worthwhile candidate? I don't know that he could beat Obama.

December 29, 2011 11:17 am at 11:17 am |

GROVER NORQUIST IS A ENEMY OF THE STATE

OMG. Santorum gets a little surge in Iowa and now all of a sudden he think he's viable. N.H. is going to come down between Romney and Huntsman.

December 29, 2011 11:24 am at 11:24 am |

george of the jungle

Gee does this mean the teabaggers are happy. All a bunch of clowns and we will end up with ol dull rich out of touch mitt. I can't believe comments from the right suggesting that ol mitt has a chance for a good debate with the president. Even the repos fall alseep when this guy talks. Ol rich is a teabag ass kisser. Im sure he has signed all the pledges. What a waste of money just give it to the poor or unemployed. All the money these clowns have spent could have created jobs.

December 29, 2011 11:28 am at 11:28 am |

T'sah from Virginia

►"You've got to focus your resources on Iowa right now, then if he gets one of the three tickets out of Iowa I'd pivot to South Carolina. I don't know what they are thinking."◄

This is true – NH is lost for Santorum; I believe Romney and to say the least, Huntsman has NH. Huntsman may fall somewhere in the top three with Romney winning. I would concentrate on SC too because the GRINCH is collapsing.

In reality, it does not matter – ALL and any one of them will lose in 2012!!

Obama 2012

December 29, 2011 11:30 am at 11:30 am |

Ric

If you want to live in a stifling theorcacy, then Santorum's your guy. He lost his senate seat in PA by 18 points!! Get it?? 18 points – that's how bad this semi conservative state wanted rid of the smarmy guy....He's like Romney, will say or do anything to get elected. No wonder the evangelical nuts in Iowa like him.

December 29, 2011 11:43 am at 11:43 am |

Rudy NYC

GROVER NORQUIST IS A ENEMY OF THE STATE wrote:

OMG. Santorum gets a little surge in Iowa and now all of a sudden he think he's viable.
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No one said that he is a viable candidate. Little Ricky [ Perry already has dibs on "Rick", and Santorum has that cute little baby face } is racing to the top. In fact, he's more viable than the previously failed front runners. Too bad that conservatives do not believe in recycling, isn't it?

December 29, 2011 11:47 am at 11:47 am |

Fair is Fair

Cindy

Well now get prepared to hear the dirt on Santorum. Like the Pa. voters kicked him out because he charged his county $37,0000.00 to home school his children. What if everyone did that?
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If everyone did that, we'd have a better educated society for a lot less money.

December 29, 2011 11:47 am at 11:47 am |

kat

Good Luck Mr. Santorum, i think you would be a good President or Vice President. I believe we have a lot of good choices, Any one of you guys with the exception of Paul, would be better than the clown we have now.

December 29, 2011 11:54 am at 11:54 am |

Death to Sycophants

Who cares? Senator frothy mix is junk. NH is the most secular state in the nation and we don't like his kind up here.

December 29, 2011 11:55 am at 11:55 am |

GROVER NORQUIST IS A ENEMY OF THE STATE

Fair is Fair wrote: "If everyone did that, we'd have a better educated society for a lot less money."
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If everyone was home schooled, this country will be dumber than it already is. Thank God for public education. I swear Michelle Bachmann must have been home schooled because she's dumb as a box of rocks. I can just see it now. Social studies will be the family all sitting down together to watch Fox News.

December 29, 2011 11:57 am at 11:57 am |

Al-NY,NY

Aaron

I'm no political consultant, but that seems to be throwing good money away. I would totally ignore NH if I were Santorum's campaign manager. You've got to focus your resources on Iowa right now, then if he gets one of the three tickets out of Iowa I'd pivot to South Carolina. I don't know what they are thinking.
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agreed. NH will never go for Santorum's fanatical theological ideas. SC is more accepting of the American Taliban

December 29, 2011 12:06 pm at 12:06 pm |

LacrosseMom(real one)

Santorum is a crazy and he is dangerous. His views smell of fascism.

December 29, 2011 12:12 pm at 12:12 pm |

willie floyd

Our "esteemed" Gov. in SC-Trikki Nikki-would make a good leader of the American Taliban!! PA. can keep Santorum.

December 29, 2011 01:04 pm at 1:04 pm |

Anonymous

A Santorum surge?!?! Ewwwwww!

In the meantime, note how the media keeps playing up the race and raking in the ad dollars. This is just one of the ways the corporate parasites and hidden elites make their money and power. Create a circus for the masses and then charge for the privilege of becoming the ringmaster, all while ensuring the "ringmaster" is really a puppet whose strings are pulled by someone in the shadows. This is not real democracy people.